All-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle

ABSTRACT

An all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle is disclosed. The all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle includes a vehicle body and two wheels coupled with the vehicle body. The vehicle body includes a support frame, a pedal disposed on the support frame, a first position sensor, and a controller. The first position sensor is configured to detect attitude information of a user standing on the pedal. The controller is configured to drive the wheels to rotate according to the attitude information. The all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle can detect attitude information of a user standing on the pedal and drive the wheels to rotate according to the attitude information. Furthermore, sitting or even standing on one foot, the user can still manipulate the all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle, which further adds to the fun in manipulation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of Chinese patent application No.201510651451.6, filed on Oct. 10, 2015, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to human-machine interaction vehicles,and more particularly, to an all-attitude human-machine interactionvehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Human-machine interaction vehicles, also called body feeling vehicles orsensor controlled vehicles, generally work based on a basic principle of“dynamic stabilization”. In a vehicle body of a human-machineinteraction vehicle a gyroscope may cooperate with an accelerometer todetect change of the vehicle body' attitude, and a servo control systemcan precisely control the vehicle body to adjust its posture, therebybalancing the vehicle.

The human-machine interaction vehicles generally fall into twocategories, with and without a handle bar. In particular, ahuman-machine interaction vehicle with a handle bar can be manipulatedto move forward, move backward, and take turns by controlling the handlebar. A human-machine interaction vehicle without a handle bar can moveforward and backward by tilting the vehicle body, and can take turns byrotating two pedals by user's feet. An example of a human-machineinteraction vehicle without a handle bar can be a two-wheelhuman-machine interaction vehicle disclosed by Chinese PatentApplication No. CN201320300947. The two-wheel vehicle includes a leftinternal cover and a right internal cover symmetric with each other. Theleft internal cover is rotatably connected to the right internal cover.

To drive the two-wheel human-machine interaction vehicle, it may requirethat two feet each standing on the left internal cover or the rightinternal cover. However, when sitting or standing on one foot, the usermay not be able to effectively manipulate the human-machine interactionvehicle to work, which reduces the fun in manipulation.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

To solve the above-mentioned problem, an all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle is provided.

An all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle is disclosed. Theall-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle may include a vehiclebody and two wheels coupled with the vehicle body. The vehicle body mayinclude a support frame, a pedal disposed on the support frame, a firstposition sensor, and a controller. The first position sensor may beconfigured to detect attitude information of a user standing on thepedal. The controller may be configured to drive the wheels to rotateaccording to the attitude information.

The support frame may define a single pedal area which is away from theground, and the pedal is loosely disposed in the pedal area.

The first position sensor may be a pressure sensor which may detect theattitude information of the user standing on the pedal by detectingpressures exerted on different parts of the pressure sensor.

The first position sensor may be arranged between the pedal and thesupport frame, and the pedal can be swayed about the first positionsensor such that opposite ends of the pedal approach or leave from thesupport frame, respectively.

The first position sensor may be a flexible structure configured todetect the attitude information of the user standing on the pedal bydetecting deformation amounts at different orientation of the flexiblestructure.

The pedal area may be a receiving groove recessed towards an inside ofthe support frame. A protrusion may be provided at each side of thepedal, facing towards the wheels and being pivoted to the vehicle body.

The vehicle body may further include a plurality of flexible supportsarranged between the pedal and a bottom of the receiving groove.

The support frame may be sheathed in the pedal.

The support frame may be a rigid shaft, and opposite ends of the rigidshaft may be rotatably connected to the two wheels.

The first position sensor may be arranged between the pedal and thesupport frame, and be configured to detect a rotation angle of the pedalrelative to the rigid shaft.

The vehicle body may further include at least two flexible supportsarranged between the pedal and the support frame.

The first position sensor may be configured to detect the deformation ofthe flexible supports in order to detect the attitude information of theuser standing on the pedal.

The pedal may be rotatably connected to the support frame about a shaftwhich is arranged to be substantially a perpendicular bisector of anaxis of the support frame facing the wheels, and the first positionsensor may be configured to detect rotation information of the pedalabout the axis of the support frame.

The vehicle body may further include a second position sensor configuredto detect a tilt angle of the support frame relative to the ground. Thecontroller may drive the all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicleto move forward or backward based on the tilt angle detected by thesecond position sensor, and drive the all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle to take turns based on the rotation informationdetected by the first position sensor.

The first position sensor may be a tracking ball, similar to a mousetracking ball, placed into a space formed by the pedal and the supportframe. The tracking ball can roll in arbitrary directions in the space,and the attitude information of the user standing on the pedal can bedetected by detecting a relative position of the tracking ball withrespect to the pedal.

The two wheels may be rotatably assembled to opposite sides of thesupport frame and planes of the two wheels may be parallel with eachother.

An inductive switch may be arranged in the pedal area and be configuredto detect whether the pedal is pressed or not according as to controlthe wheels to rotate or stop.

The inductive switch may include a pressure sensor and a photoelectricsensor, both can detect whether the pedal is pressed or not.

The vehicle body may further include a power source and an actuationdevice. The power source is configured to supply electrical energy tothe actuation device, the first position sensor, and the controller. Thecontroller is configured to control the power source, the drivingdevice, and the first position sensor, and to send an actuation signalto the actuation device based on attitude information detected by thefirst position sensor, to drive the wheels to rotate.

Another all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle is disclosed. Theall-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle may include a vehiclebody and two wheels coupled with the vehicle body. The vehicle body mayinclude a support frame, a first position sensor, and a controller. Thesupport frame may be an unitary structure and be coupled with thewheels. The support frame may define a single pedal area. The firstposition sensor may be configured to detect attitude information of auser standing in the pedal area, and the controller may drive the wheelsto rotate according to the attitude information.

Yet another all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle is disclosed.The all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle may include a vehiclebody and two wheels coupled with the vehicle body. The vehicle body mayinclude a support frame, a pedal disposed on the support frame, a firstposition sensor, and a controller. The support frame may be coupled withthe wheels. The first position sensor may be configured to detectattitude information of a user standing on the pedal by detectingmovement of the pedal, and the controller may drive the wheels to rotateaccording to the attitude information.

The above all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicles may have thefollowing advantages.

The all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle can detect attitudeinformation of a user standing on the pedal and drive the wheels torotate according to the attitude information. More to the point, sittingor even standing on one foot, the user can still manipulate theall-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle effectively, which addsto the fun in manipulation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

References are made to the accompanying drawing(s) to better illustratethe present invention. However, the accompanying drawings representsonly some embodiments of the disclosure, and are not meant to beexhaustive.

FIG. 1 is an exploded diagram of an all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 2A illustrates a moving scenario of the all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.1, in which the all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle movesstraight forward or backward at a constant speed, while the vehicle bodyand the pedal stays horizontal.

FIG. 2B illustrates another moving scenario of the all-attitudehuman-machine interaction vehicle according to the exemplary embodimentshown in FIG. 1, in which the all-attitude human-machine interactionvehicle accelerates forward, while the vehicle body tilts forwardaccordingly.

FIG. 2C illustrates yet another moving scenario of the all-attitudehuman-machine interaction vehicle according to the exemplary embodimentshown in FIG. 1, in which the all-attitude human-machine interactionvehicle accelerates backward, while the vehicle body tilts backwardaccordingly.

FIG. 3A illustrates a moving scenario of the all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.1, in which the all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle movesforward or backward in a straight line without turning.

FIG. 3B illustrates another moving scenario of the all-attitudehuman-machine interaction vehicle according to the exemplary embodimentshown in FIG. 1, in which the all-attitude human-machine interactionvehicle turns right when the vehicle drives towards the reader or turnsleft when it is driving away.

FIG. 3C illustrates yet another moving scenario of the all-attitudehuman-machine interaction vehicle according to the exemplary embodimentshown in FIG. 1, in which the all-attitude human-machine interactionvehicle turns left when the vehicle drives towards the reader or turnsright when it drives away.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate different configurations of the all-attitudehuman-machine interaction vehicle according to the exemplary embodimentshown in FIG. 1, depending on the shape of the pedal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The following description will render a clear and complete descriptionof the present disclosure in combination with the embodiments andaccompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described herein areonly part but not all embodiments of the disclosure. Any otherembodiments obtained by those of skill in the art without makinginventive efforts shall all be covered within the protection of thedisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, an all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle100, according an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,includes a vehicle body 10 and two wheels 20 coupled with the vehiclebody 10.

Typically, planes of the two wheels 20 may be parallel with each other,and axles of the two wheels 20 may be aligned in substantially a sameimaginary straight line. The two wheels 20 may be assembled to oppositesides of the vehicle body 10 through the respective axles. For example,the two wheels 20 may be assembled to opposite ends of the vehicle body10, respectively, or assembled at two sides under the vehicle body 10.In this embodiment, the two wheels 20 may be rotatably coupled withopposite ends of the vehicle body 10. The two wheels 20 can rotate aboutan axis of the vehicle body 10, which may substantially coincide withthe above imaginary straight line, thereby enabling movement of theall-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle 100.

Also referring to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, the vehicle body 10 mayinclude a support frame 11, a pedal 12 disposed on the support frame 11,a first position sensor 13, and a controller 16. The support frame 11may define a single pedal area which is away from the ground. The pedal12 may be arranged in the pedal area. The first position sensor 13 maydetect attitude information of a user standing on the pedal 12, and sendthe attitude information to the controller 16. The controller 16 maythus control the wheels 20 to rotate according to the attitudeinformation, so that the user can manipulate the all-attitudehuman-machine interaction vehicle 100 to move forward (shown in FIG. 2B)and backward (shown in FIG. 2C), or take turns (shown in FIG. 3B or FIG.3C), like turn right or turn left. The attitude information may includeposture information of the user standing on the pedal 12. In thisembodiment, the support frame 11 may be formed into an unitary structureand be rotatably coupled with the two wheels 20. By unitary structure,it may mean that the constituent parts of the support frame 11 cannot bemoved with respect to each other such that the support frame issubstantially an integral piece, which is different from the prior artthat in a conventional human machine interaction vehicle a left internalcover can be rotated relative to the right internal cover. The supportframe 11 can be formed into an unitary structure by molding, welding, orriveting. The support frame 11 can be of any shape, such as a rigidplate-type structure or a rigid shaft. In this embodiment, the supportframe 11 can be a rigid plate-type structure.

The pedal 12 may be independently mounted on the support frame 11. By“Independently mounted”, it may mean that the pedal 12 is not fixedlydisposed on the support frame, but to a certain extent loosely assembledto the support frame through intermediate connections such that thepedal 12 can move relative to the support frame 11. For example, thepedal 12 can be rotatably connected to the support frame 11 through ashaft 15, a hinge, or a universal joint. When a shaft 15 or a hinge isapplied, the pedal 12 can only rotate about the shaft 15 or a hinge axiswith respect to the support frame 11, otherwise when a universal jointis applied, the pedal 12 can pivot around the universal joint inarbitrary directions. In both cases, a control signal can be generatedfrom the rotation or movement of the pedal 12 and thus be sent to thecontroller 16 to manipulate the motion of the all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle 100. However, it should be noted that the connectionbetween the pedal 12 and the support frame 11 is by no means limited tothe above connection methods, any connections by which the pedal 12 canbe moved relative to the support frame 11 can be applied. In thisembodiment, the pedal 12 may be rotatably connected to the support frame11 about the shaft 15, which is substantially a perpendicular bisectorof the above defined axis of the support frame 11. Thus, when the userstands on the pedal 12, the pedal 12 can be rotated relative to thesupport frame 11 to form a left- or right-tilt angle. The pedal 12 canbe of any shape. In this embodiment, the pedal 12 is an integralplate-type structure. Referring to FIGS. 2B, 2C, 3B, and 3C, thehuman-machine interaction vehicle moves forward or backward when thereis a first difference in height on the pedal 12 along the shaft 15, andthe human-machine interaction vehicle takes turns when there is a seconddifference in height on the pedal 12 along a direction perpendicular tothe shaft 15.

The first position sensor 13 may be configured to detect attitudeinformation of the user standing on the pedal 12. It should beappreciated that the first position sensor 13 can control multiplemotions of the wheels 20, not merely rotation. For example, the firstposition sensor 13 can detect a left-tilt angle, a right-tilt angle, ora vertical position difference of opposite ends of the pedal 12 (theopposite ends refer to the ends pointing to the respective wheels 20,and the vertical position difference may be calculated by taking theplane of the support frame 11 as a reference horizontal plane). Forexample, if the left-tilt angle, the right-tilt angle, or the verticalposition difference is close to zero, the all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle 100 would move forward or backward in asubstantially straight line. If the left-title angel or the verticalposition difference is relatively large, the all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle 100 may turn left. Specifically, the magnitude ofthe left-tilt angle, the right-tilt angle, or the vertical positiondifference to trigger the turning motion can depend on the user'spreference. For example, some user may prefer the turning-triggermechanism to be more sensitive, then the triggering magnitude of thetilt angles or the position difference can be set to be smaller. Thehuman-machine interaction vehicle moves forward or backward when thereis a first tilt angle between the pedal 12 and an imaginary axis of thewheels 20, and the human-machine interaction vehicle takes turns whenthere is a second tilt angle between the pedal 12 and the shaft 15.

The first position sensor 13 can be any type of position sensors, forexample, a gyroscope, a photoelectric sensor, or a pressure sensor. Themounting position and number of the first position sensor 13 can bearbitrary according to actual design requirements. For example, theremay be one or more first position sensors 13. In this embodiment, thefirst position sensor 13 can be a pressure sensor, which can detect theattitude information of the user standing on the pedal 12 by detectingpressures exerted on different parts of the first position sensor 13.The first position sensor 13 can be arranged between the pedal 12 andthe support frame 11. For example, the first position sensor 13 can beintegrated into the shaft 15 or a universal joint, against which thepedal 12 can sway about such that two opposite ends of the pedal 12 canapproach or leave from the support frame 11. Typically, the firstposition sensor 13 can be a flexible structure, which can detect theattitude information of the user standing on the pedal 12 by detectingdeformation amounts at different orientations of the first positionsensor 13. Accordingly, the pedal 12 can be pivoted to the pedal area ofthe support frame 11 so that the first position sensor 13 can easilydetect the deformation amounts at different orientations on the pedal12. Specifically, the pedal area may be a receiving groove which isrecessed toward an inside of the support frame 11. A protrusion (notshown) may be provided at each side of the pedal 12, facing towards therespective wheels 20. The protrusions may be pivoted to the vehicle body10, so that the pedal 12 can be rotatably connected to the support frame11. Alternatively, the pedal area can also be a flat plane instead ofthe receiving groove, in which case the support frame 11 may be sheathedin the pedal 12.

The first position sensor 13 can also employ other approaches to detectthe attitude information of the user standing on the pedal 12. Forexample, two flexible supports 14 can be arranged between the pedal 12and the support frame 11. The first position sensor 13 can detect theattitude information of the user standing on the pedal 12 by detectingthe deformation of the flexible supports 14. Alternatively, fourflexible supports 14 can be arranged between the pedal 12 and thesupport frame 11. The first position sensor 13 may be arranged among thefour flexible supports 14, and detect the deformation amounts of theflexible supports 14 with a balance position of each flexible supporttaken as a reference position for deformation measurements. By “balanceposition”, it may mean the exact configuration or state of each flexiblesupport when the user is standing on the pedal and the gravitationalpull of earth on the user is balanced with the vertical component of thesupport force or normal force of the pedal (in the vertical directionthe user is in a state of equilibrium since there is no movement in thevertical direction). Thus, the flexible support would be deformed to acertain degree in response to the pressure exerted by the user to thepedal, and the exact deformation condition of each flexible support willbe referenced as the initial condition based on which the deformationamounts will be calculated to generate the signals for controlling themotions of the human-machine interaction vehicle. In another example,the user can lean forward or backward when standing on the pedal 12 andthe pedal 12 can be such rotatably connected to the support frame 11that the pedal 12 can sway relative to the support frame 11 about theaxis of the support frame 11, hence the pedal 12 would lean forward orbackward to form a forward tilt or backward tilt angle with respect tothe support frame 11. The first position sensor 13 can detect therotation information of the pedal 12 about the axis of the support frame11. And the vehicle body 10 may further include a second position sensor(not shown) configured to detect tilt information of the support frame11 relative to the ground. The controller 16 may thus drive theall-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle 100 to move forward orbackward based on the tilt information detected by the second positionsensor, and drive the all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle 100to take turns based on the rotation information detected by the firstposition sensor 13. Alternatively, the first position sensor 13 may be atracking ball (similar to a mouse tracking ball)placed into the spacebetween the pedal 12 and the support frame 11. The tracking ball canroll in any directions. The attitude information of the user standing onthe pedal 12 can thus be detected by detecting a position of thetracking ball relative to the pedal 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2C, in which different moving scenarios of theall-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle according to theexemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 1 are illustrated. In the scenarioas shown FIG. 2A, the vehicle 100 may drive forward or backward at aconstant speed, which may indicate that no acceleration occurs, so boththe vehicle body 10 and the pedal 12 may stay horizontal (suppose it isdriving on a horizontal ground). By remaining the vehicle body 10horizontal, the vehicle 100 can be informed that the driver wishes thevehicle to move on at a constant speed, so that the vehicle couldproduce the traction that is balanced by the friction with the ground.Likewise, by staying the pedal 12 horizontal, the vehicle 100 can beinformed to remain its moving direction without taking turns, i.e., tomove in a straight line, so that the two wheels 20, which are able tomove independently of each other, may spin at exactly the same speed,thus enabling the vehicle to move on always towards the same directionand so maintains on a straight line.

The vehicle 100 can move forward or backward, for example, the vehicle100 as shown in FIG. 2 is moving forward, while the vehicle body 10leans forward to a certain extent. On one hand, by leaning the vehiclebody 10 forward (for example, the driver can press his forefeet downwardthus forcing the vehicle body to rotate around an axis of the two wheels20 and as a result the vehicle body 10 will move from the positiondenoted by the dashed-lines to the position shown by solid lines, thusit creates a first difference in height on the pedal 12 along the shaft15 from the solid lines to the dashed-lines), the vehicle 100 can besignaled to increase its speed and thus produce an acceleration. On theother hand, as with the scenario illustrated in FIG. 2A, by keeping thepedal 12 parallel with the vehicle body 10, i.e., the pedal 12 will notrotate about its width ways symmetric axis (perpendicular to the axis ofthe wheels), such that the vehicle 100 can be informed to maintain thedirection of movement, i.e., it will not take turns, and this can beachieved by keeping the speeds of the two independent wheels consistent,that is, the two wheels will drive at the same speed, and willaccelerate or decelerate synchronously. Likewise, referring now to FIG.2C, when the vehicle 100 drives backwards, the vehicle body 10 can leanbackwards (move from the previous position denoted by the dashed-linesto the current position shown in solid lines, thus it creates anotherfirst difference in height on the pedal 12 along the shaft 15 from thesolid lines to the dashed-lines) to signal the vehicle 100 to increaseits backward speed without taking turns. It is noteworthy that when thevehicle 100 is driving forward, when the driver forces the vehicle body10 to tilt backwards, then the vehicle can be signaled to produce adeceleration, that is, the vehicle may reduce its forward speed until itstops.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate different moving scenarios of the all-attitudehuman-machine interaction vehicle according to the exemplary embodimentshown in FIG. 1. In the scenario shown in FIG. 3A, the vehicle 100 maydrive forwards or backwards (it actually has the same state of motionwith the scenario as shown in FIG. 2A). Now suppose the vehicle 100drives forwards and the forward direction is one towards the reader,i.e., the vehicle 100 drives towards the reader, then as with thescenario shown in FIG. 2A, the vehicle 100 may move forwards on astraight line without taking turns. In the scenario shown in FIG. 3B,however, the driver may push his left foot against the correspondingflexible supports 14 (there are two flexible supports 14 on the leftside of the driver) a little harder than the right foot, thus forcingthe pedal 12 to rotate about its widthways symmetrical axis, causing theflexible supports 14 to experience different pressure and thus result indifferent degrees of deformation. And the vehicle 100 can then besignaled to turn left, and this is achieved by driving the twoindependent wheels at different speeds; for example, either the leftwheel may lower its speed or the right wheel may increase its speed,thus enabling the right wheel to outrun the left wheel. Likewise,referring to FIG. 3C, by pushing the right end of the pedal 12 againstthe corresponding supports 114 a little harder than the left end andthus deforming the supports 14 at the right side to a larger degree thanat the left side, the vehicle can be signaled to turn right. Note,throughout the scenarios shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, the first position sensor13 embedded inside the shaft 15 can be used to detect the amount ofdeformation of these flexible supports 14, and base on the acquireddeformation information to generate and transfer a driving signal to thecontroller 16 to move the vehicle 100 in the manner indicated by thedriving signal. In FIGS. 3B and 3C, the human-machine interactionvehicle 100 takes turns there is a second difference in height on thepedal 112 along a direction perpendicular to the shaft 15.

In some embodiments, when the support frame 11 is a rigid shaft 15,opposite ends of the rigid shaft can be rotatably connected to the twowheels 20. In this case, the rigid shaft 15 can be sheathed in the pedal12. The first position sensor 13 can be arranged between the pedal 12and the support frame 11, and detect the attitude information of theuser standing on the pedal 12 by detecting a rotation angle of the pedal12 relative to the rigid shaft 15.

In an exemplary embodiment, the vehicle body 10 of the all-attitudehuman-machine interaction vehicle 100 may include an inductive switch(not shown) disposed in the pedal area. The inductive switch can detectwhether the pedal 12 is pressed or not, thereby controlling the wheels20 to rotate or stop. Specifically, the all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle 100 may only be started when the inductive switch isevenly pressed by the pedal 12. This can prevent the user from beinghurt because the wheels 20 of a prior all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle 100 may rotate simultaneously when the user isstanding on the pedal 12. Furthermore, the inductive switch may includea pressure sensor and a photoelectric sensor, both can detect whetherthe pedal 12 is pressed or not.

The vehicle body 10 may further include a power source (not shown) andan actuation device (not shown). The power source may supply electricalenergy to the actuation device, the first position sensor 13, and thecontroller 16. The controller 16 can control the power source, theactuation device, and the first position sensor 13, and send anactuation signal to the actuation device based on the tilt informationdetected by the first position sensor 13 and the second position sensor,thereby driving the wheels 20 to rotate. Typically, the vehicle body 10may include two actuation devices respectively assembled in the twowheels 20 to control the corresponding wheels 20.

FIG. 4A shows another configuration of the all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4A, the pedal 12 may have a flat upper surfaceand there is a tiny gap reserved between the pedal 12 and the vehiclebody 10, which more closely reveals the actual configuration of thevehicle, since the pedal 12 may conduct only tiny motions relative tothe vehicle body 10 (i.e., rotate about the shaft 15), and these tinymotions would suffice to generate the turning signals, based on whichthe vehicle 100 can take turns. In addition, the majority of the shaft15 can be embedded into the pedal 12. By the small-gap andembedded-shaft configuration, the stability of the vehicle can befurther enhanced. The first position sensor 13 may be mounted in anyplace of the pedal 12 or support frame 11.

FIG. 4B shows another configuration of the all-attitude human-machineinteraction vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment as shown inFIG. 1. This configuration differs from FIG. 4A in that the central partof the pedal 12 is ridged above. Also, the majority of the shaft 15 canbe embedded into the pedal 12.

Note, in the configurations as shown throughout FIGS. 4A-4B, the firstposition sensor 13 can be integrated with the shaft 15 and can thusdetect the attitude information of the driver by measuring the motion ofthe pedal 12 with respect to the shaft 15.

In the above description, the first position sensor 13 or the secondposition sensor can comprise, but is not limited to, a Hall sensor, anoptical encoder, or a gyroscope, which can detect the rotation angle ofthe pedal relative 12 relative to the support frame 11 or that of thesupport frame 11 relative to the ground.

In conclusion, the all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle 100can detect the attitude information of a user standing on the pedal 12and drive the wheels 20 to rotate based on the attitude information.More to the point, sitting or even standing on one foot, the user canstill manipulate the all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle 100,which further adds to the fun in manipulation.

The description above is merely exemplary embodiments of presentdisclosure, but is not intended to limit the disclosure. Anymodifications, substitutions, or improvements made without departingfrom the spirits and scope of the disclosure shall all fall within theprotection of the disclosure.

1. A human-machine interaction vehicle comprising a vehicle body and twowheels coupled with the vehicle body, wherein the vehicle body comprisesa support frame, a shaft arranged substantially perpendicular to an axisof the two wheels, a pedal rotatably connected on the support frameabout the shaft, a first position sensor, and a controller, wherein theshaft is embedded into the pedal, wherein the first position sensor isconfigured to detect attitude information of a user standing on thepedal, the controller is configured to drive the wheels to rotate basedon the detected attitude information, and the human-machine interactionvehicle takes turns when the pedal rotates about the shaft; wherein thefirst position sensor is a tracking ball placed into a space between thepedal and the support frame with a capability of freely moving inarbitrary directions in the space and the attitude information of theuser standing on the pedal is detected by detecting a relative positionof the tracking ball with respect to the pedal.
 2. The human-machineinteraction vehicle of claim 1, wherein the pedal is disposed in asingle pedal area defined in the support frame.
 3. The human-machineinteraction vehicle of claim 2, wherein the first position sensorcomprises a pressure sensor configured to detect the attitudeinformation of the user standing on the pedal by detecting pressuresexerted on different parts of the pressure sensor.
 4. The human-machineinteraction vehicle of claim 2, wherein the first position sensor isarranged between the pedal and the support frame, and the pedal isswayed about the first position sensor such that opposite ends of thepedal approach or leave from the support frame, respectively.
 5. Thehuman-machine interaction vehicle of claim 4, wherein the first positionsensor comprises a flexible structure configured to detect the attitudeinformation of the user standing on the pedal by detecting deformationamounts at different orientations of the flexible structure.
 6. Thehuman-machine interaction vehicle of claim 5, wherein the pedal area isa receiving groove recessed towards an inside of the support frame; anda protrusion is provided at each side of the pedal, facing towards thewheels, and being pivoted to the vehicle body.
 7. The human-machineinteraction vehicle of claim 6, wherein the vehicle body furthercomprises a plurality of flexible supports arranged between the pedaland a bottom of the receiving groove.
 8. The human-machine interactionvehicle of claim 1, wherein the support frame is a rigid shaft, which issheathed in the pedal, and opposite ends of the support frame arerotatably connected to the two wheels.
 9. The human-machine interactionvehicle of claim 8, wherein the first position sensor is arrangedbetween the pedal and the support frame, and is configured to detect arotation angle of the pedal relative to the support frame.
 10. Thehuman-machine interaction vehicle of claim 2, wherein the vehicle bodyfurther comprises at least two flexible supports arranged between thepedal and the support frame.
 11. The human-machine interaction vehicleof claim 10, wherein the first position sensor is configured to detectthe deformation of the flexible supports to detect the attitudeinformation of the user standing on the pedal.
 12. The human-machineinteraction vehicle of claim 2, wherein the pedal is rotatably connectedto the support frame about a shaft which is arranged to be substantiallya perpendicular bisector of an axis of the support frame facing thewheels, and the first position sensor is configured to detect rotationinformation of the pedal about the axis of the support frame.
 13. Thehuman-machine interaction vehicle of claim 12, wherein the vehicle bodyfurther comprises a second position sensor configured to detect a tiltangle of the support frame relative to the ground, and the controllerdrives the human-machine interaction vehicle to move forward or backwardbased on the tilt angle detected by the second position sensor, andcontrols the human-machine interaction vehicle to take turns based onthe rotation information detected by the first position sensor. 14.(canceled)
 15. The human-machine interaction vehicle of claim 1, whereinthe two wheels are rotatably assembled to opposite sides of the supportframe and planes of the two wheels are substantially parallel with eachother, and a central part of the pedal is ridged above.
 16. Thehuman-machine interaction vehicle of claim 1, wherein an inductiveswitch is arranged in the pedal area and is configured to detect whetherthe pedal is pressed or not in order to control the wheels to rotate orstop.
 17. The human-machine interaction vehicle of claim 16, wherein theinductive switch comprises at least one of a pressure sensor and aphotoelectric sensor, both configured to detect whether the pedal ispressed or not.
 18. The human-machine interaction vehicle of claim 1,wherein the vehicle body further comprises a power source and anactuation device, the power source configured to supply electricalenergy to the actuation device, the first position sensor, and thecontroller, and the controller configured to control the power source,the actuation device, and the first position sensor, and to send anactuation signal to the actuation device based on attitude informationdetected by the first position sensor, to drive the wheels to rotate.19. A human-machine interaction vehicle comprising a vehicle body andtwo wheels; the vehicle body comprising: a support frame connecting withthe two wheels, wherein each wheel is attached to a lateral side of thesupport frame; a shaft; a pedal rotatably connected on the support frameabout the shaft; a position sensor configured to detect attitudeinformation of a user standing on the pedal; and a controller configuredto drive the wheels to rotate based on the detected attitudeinformation; wherein the shaft is embedded into the pedal; wherein thehuman-machine interaction vehicle moves forward or backward when thereis a first difference in height on the pedal along the shaft, and thehuman-machine interaction vehicle takes turns when there is a seconddifference in height on the pedal along a direction perpendicular to theshaft; wherein the first position sensor is a tracking ball placed intoa space between the pedal and the support frame with a capability offreely moving in arbitrary directions in the space, and the attitudeinformation of the user standing on the pedal is detected by detecting arelative position of the tracking ball with respect to the pedal.
 20. Ahuman-machine interaction vehicle comprising a vehicle body and twowheels coupled with the vehicle body; the vehicle body comprising: asupport frame connecting with the two wheels, wherein each wheel isattached to a lateral side of the support frame; a shaft; a pedalrotatably connected on the support frame about the shaft; and a positionsensor configured to detect attitude information of a user standing onthe pedal; and a controller configured to drive the wheels to rotatebased on the detected attitude information; wherein the shaft isembedded into the pedal; wherein the human-machine interaction vehiclemoves forward or backward when there is a first tilt angle between thepedal and an axis of the wheels, and the human-machine interactionvehicle takes turns when there is a second tilt angle between the pedaland the shaft; wherein the first position sensor is a tracking ballplaced into a space between the pedal and the support frame with acapability of freely moving in arbitrary directions in the space, andthe attitude information of the user standing on the pedal is detectedby detecting a relative position of the tracking ball with respect tothe pedal.